Chair



' G. E. BISHOP Feb. 2 4, 1942.-

CHAIR Filed March 15, 1939 f. 2 mhl /7 Jl H II mJ v 5 "mui /5' fini; 7 w

Patented Feb. 24, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHAIR George E. Bishop, Cleveland MHeights, Ohio Application March 15', 1939, Serial No. 261,979

4 Claims.

The invention relates to chairs and particularly to improvements in so-called tubular chairs. More'particularly, the invention relates to improvements in tubular chairs whereby the strains induced in the chair frame members by use of the chair are accommodated by means providing a hinge action between the members tending to have a relative movement. The invention partic` ularly applies to tubular chairs of which the frame is comprised of wood elements.

Other improvements will be explained in detail in the following description in combination with the accompanying drawing.

The annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detail certain means embodying my invention,` such disclosed means constituting, however, only one` of the various forms in which the principle of the invention may be embodied.

In said annexed drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tubular chair embodying the improvements;

Figure 2 is afront elevation, taken from the planes indicated by the line 2 2, Figure l;

Figure 3 is a vertical section, upon an enlarged scale, taken in the plane indicated by the line 3 3, Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is an elevation, taken from the plane I' indicated by the line 5 5, Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a horizontal section, taken in the plane indicated by the Vline 6 8, Figure 4.

Referring to the annexed drawing in which the same parts are indicated by the same respective numbers in the several views, a resilient tubular support for the chair isformed of two side iioor sections I, Figure 1, two upwardly-extended front sections 2, two rearwardly-extended upper arm sections 3, and an intermediate rear con-` necting floor section I; all forming a resilient supporting structure that is Well known in the art. This resilient tubular support is pivotally connected substantially midway the height of the iront sections 2, and also adjacent the rear of the arm sections 3, t-o the wood members forming the skeleton frame of the chair. skeleton frame comprises two side seat members 4, Figures 1 and 2, between the front ends of which is fastened a cross front seat member 5 and between the rear ends of which is fastened a This wood cross rear seat member li. Fastened by bolts` I6 to the rear face of the member 6 is a special cross member 8 forming part of the chair frame back and having the cross-,sectional shape clearly shown in Figure 3. This cross member 8 extends at its ends beyond the cross rear seat member 6 and lies flush with the rear ends of the side seat members 4. This cross member 8, which is of considerably less depth than the rear seat member 6, and whose top surface is normal to the rear face of the member 6 serves a purpose hereinafter fully described. *i

The normal back frame members which consist of two upwardly-extending side members l and a connecting cross crown member l1 are slanted rearwardly from bottom to top and are shown substantially in their normal unstressed position in Figure 1. The bottom edges of the back side members 'l are normal to the front and rear faces thereof. The special back member 8 is hingedly connected to the back members 1 so that the latter may move forwardly and rearwardly to vary the angle between their bottom edges and the top of the member 8, according to the weight which the chair bears or the stresses to which it is subjected. The hinged connection is made through the medium of a thin gauge metal sheet I0 which is nailed to the side back members 1 and the cross back member 8, as appears in Figure 3, and which is extended at its lower end below the bottom of the back side members 1 and is intersected by the bolts I6 which secure together the chair seat and the chair back, as clearly appears in Figures 1, 2 and 3. The rear face of the cross frame member ,8 is sloped so as to lie substantially in the same plane as the plane in which the backs of the members 1 normally lie. The shape of the cross member 8 and the manner of its connection with the back frame members l provide triangular spaces 9 between the top of the frame member 8 and the bottom edges of the frame members 1, within which spaces 9 the bottom edgesrof the frame members 'l may play according to the accommodation required when the chair is occupied. To thin gauge'metal backing Ill is capa-i ble of bending to withstand without damage the necessary strains to which it is subjected by the hinge action between the members 'I and.v

The chair actions upon which the advantages of the triangular spaces 9 and the hinge effect are based are as follows: When the chair is subjected to stress occasioned by the weight and movements of an occupant thereof, the resilient tubular supporting structure I-l'-2-3 tends to be somewhat flattened and this effect, combined with the effects upon the several chair frame parts, tends to shorten the distance between the pivotal axis of the tubular support section 2 on the seat frame side member 4 and the pivotal axis of the tubular section 3 on the seat back side member 'I. Therefore, if the tendency to shorten this distance is to be accommodated, and not thwarted so as to strain the connection between the chair seat and the chair back, the chair back must move forwardly relatively to the seat. Inasmuch as the chair back and chair seat are connected together, this relative forward movement of the chair back must be accommodated by a connection between the seat and back which is permanent and yet comprised of relatively movable parts. Such a connection is provided by the hinged connection shown and described which is so secured to the chair back and chair seat as to provide the spaces 9 back of the members 4 and 6 within which the lower portion of the chair back can play.

Another improvement of this invention consists in the particular pivotal connections between the tubular members 3 and the chair back side members '1. Each of these connections includes a metal plate or sheath I I which is secured to the inner edge of a back side frame member 'I and extends around the same and is secured to the front also of said frame member l', as clearly appears in Figures 2 and 5. The frame member I is recessed adjacent itsinner edge so as vto accommodate a nut I2v which is disposed beneath the side member of the sheet metal sheath I I. A bolt I3 is passed through the frame member 'I from the outer edge thereof, as clearly appears in Figures 1, 4, and 6, the outer end of this bolt I3 adjacent its head extending outwardly from the frame member 'I and forming a journal for the tubular section 3 through which the bolt I3 is also passed. After the nut I2 and thev sheet metal sheath II have been positioned and secured, the bolt I3 can be passed through the tubular section 3 and then through the frame member 'I and the nut I2 found and engaged by the bolty I3, to complete the assembly clearly shown in Figure 4. The tubular section 3 thus can turn on the bolt I3 between the head of the latter and the outer edge of the frame member 1, Also, the frame member 'I to which the bolt I3 is secured can turn relatively to the tubular section 3. This construction permits an ecient pivoting of the tubular member 3 relative to the frame side member 'I and a means for holding i the securing nut I2.

The chair frame thus constructed can be provided with covering, as desired, the application and luse of which are Well known in the trade, and can also accommodate seat and back cushions I4 and I5, respectively, such as are suggested in Figure 1.

What I claim is:

1. A chair comprising a resilient supporting member, seat and back members pivotally connected to the supporting member, a cross member secured to the seat member adjacent the bottom of the back member, the cross member and the back member having surfaces lying substantially in the same plane in the unstressed condition of the supporting member, and a flexible member secured to said surfaces, the back member being normally rearwardly inclined and having its bottom edge disposed adjacently above the top of the cross member and angular thereto so as to form a recess rearwardly of the seat member within which the lower portion of the back member may play according to the accommodation required between the seat and back members when the chair is occupied.

2. A pivotal mounting comprising the combination with a resilient chair support and a chair frame member, of a bolt passed through the support and the member and having a portion eX- tended outwardly of the member upon which the support is journalled, a nut engaged by the bolt and imbedded in the member adjacent the face Iof the latter opposite the support, and a sheath secured to said face of the member and holding the nut.

3. A chair comprising a tubular metallic supporting member, seat and back members pivotally connected to the supporting member, a cross member secured to the seat member and disposed adjacently below the lower edge of the back member, the latter being normally rearwardly inclined, and the rear face of the cross member being in alignment with the rear surface of the back member, a thin metal sheet hingedly securing together the back member and the cross member, the top of the cross member and the bottom of the back member forming a recess triangular in cross-section adjacently rearwardly of the seat member, within which recess the lower portion of the back member may play according to the accommodation required between the seat and back members when the chair is occupied.

4. A chair comprising a tubular metallic supporting member, spaced seat and back wood frame members forming a skeleton seat and a skeleton back, said seat and back being pivotally connected to the metallic supporting member, a cross member secured to the rear edge of the skeleton seat and disposed adjacently below the lower edge of the skeleton back, the latter being normally rearwardly inclined, and the rear face of the cross member lying substantially in the same plane as the rear surfaces of the wood frame members of which the skeleton back is comprised, a flexible member secured to the rear face of the cross member and to the rear surfaces of the wood frame members of the skeleton back, the top surface of the cross member being disposed below the top surfaces of the rear ends of the wood frame membersv of which the skeleton seat is comprised so that recesses triangular in cross-section are formed adjacently rear wardly of the respective wood frame members of which the skeleton seat is comprised, within which recesses the lower portions of the wood frame members of which the skeleton back is comprised may play according to the accommodation required between the chair seat and chair back when the chair is occupied.

GEORGE E. BISHOP. 

